Official data Friday morning showed the Omicron version of the virus is pushing infections and spiraling out of control in Pakistan, as the country recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours at 7,678.
Earlier, the highest daily toll was recorded on June 13, 2020, when 6,825 coronavirus cases were reported in the country, data from the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) showed.
With the new infections, the total cases have crossed 1.35 million. Meanwhile, 59,343 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, and the positivity ratio reached 12.93%.
Official data showed that the number of coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours rose to 23 from five a day earlier, taking the total death toll to 29,065.
The situation is worse in major cities, with Karachi registering a 46.58% positivity ratio, while Islamabad detected 1359 new infections in the last 24 hours - the highest number of cases since the pandemic began.
Cases are increasing, but top officials have refused to impose lockdown, saying that the country's economy cannot bear the burden of others.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan turned down the possibility of imposing a lockdown.
Addressing the launch ceremony of the National Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Policy in Islamabad, he said the government would not shut down the economy but would advise people to strictly follow the mandatory SOPs for COVID-19.
Amid the rapid spread of the coronavirus, two prominent politicians - Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif and Federal Finance and Revenue Minister Shaukat Tarin - also tested positive for coronavirus two days ago.
new guidelines
The NCOC on Wednesday issued revised coronavirus guidelines and SOPs for education, restaurants, entertainment and other sectors as Pakistan struggles to contain the spread of the Omicron variant.
The Forum had decided that indoor weddings, meals and gatherings would be banned in cities and districts with an infection rate of more than 10%. Schools will remain open in cities and districts with "staggered" classes for children under the age of 12.
As a result of the rising cases, the NCOC reduced crowd attendance for Karachi-leg matches for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) from 100% to 25%, while children under the age of 12 are barred from the stadium.